Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Texas has a reputation amongst us Brits as being huge – it is 3 times the size of our entire country (yet the UK has nearly 2.5 times more people living there!). It’s the 2nd biggest US State (Alaska is even bigger) and has the 2nd largest population (after California). I guess the notoriety of Texas was aided by countless Western movies and, of course, the TV series ‘Dallas’.

So you can imagine our excitement as we woke up in Oklahoma (which, by the way, we did not do justice due to our late arrival and the fact that it was our wedding anniversary), knowing that we were heading towards the Lone Star State.

We set off from our hotel and promptly got utterly and horribly lost. Turns out finding our way to Amarillo wasn’t going to as easy as we first thought!

We headed in what seemed like a sensible direction (West), but to no avail. We went round and round the same section of Interstate 40 trying to figure out where on earth we had to get off to join 66 again but no joy. In the end, we pulled off at any old junction where we could park in a side road to check the map and figure things out. We had been on the road for an hour already!

We parked up, read all our documents, checked the sat nav, turned the maps this way and that way. We could NOT make sense of it. AT ALL! We sat back in the car, exasperated. I looked up to check out our surroundings. The street sign ahead said NW 23rd Street – hang on a minute – I’m sure the EZ66 said that we needed to be on that street! I rustled through the pages of the guidebook and sure enough: ‘Stay on NW 23rd Street for 2mi to May Avenue’. Whoop Whoop! We had accidentally found ourselves exactly where we needed to be. Thank goodness.

Relieved, we set off and were back on track. By now, though, we really needed a toilet stop. But we were out of the city now and there was nowhere around. As I was looking around for possible ‘restroom options’, I glanced over at a big lake – and spied a portaloo! Oh, praise be! We pulled over by what turned out to be Lake Overholser (actually a reservoir) and took advantage of the rudimentary facilities…and the peaceful view over the lake.

Relieved (in a slightly different way this time), we set off through the towns of El Reno, Weatherford and Elk City with a brief stop at the Route 66 Museum in desperate need of a coffee. They didn’t sell coffee.

We continued on through Oklahoma passing many a derelict motel and cafe that in days gone by would have warmly greeted us with hot coffee and friendly atmosphere.

Still caffeine and sugar deprived, we arrived in Texola, the last town in Oklahoma before you cross into Texas. Now this town really is empty. Not quite a ghost town – apparently in the 2010 census there were 36 residents. On the main street through the town, there is very little by way of attractions. However, we were people in need of coffee and in all honesty, pie – and Texola had it. So we stopped at a little place (actually called the ‘Tumbleweed Grill and Country Store‘) in the ‘Water Hole #2 building.

There was a lady and her dog (Licker – or Liquor – we weren’t sure which). The lady didn’t say much but gladly sold us a cup of coffee and some beautiful American Apple Pie. We were so ready for it. The shop is a fascinating little place. You should definitely stop by. Full of little knick knacks, Americana, souvenirs and pieces of art that the lady there had made herself.

There really is no place like Texola, even if it is a little sad that this once thriving Route 66 town has been reduced to what it is today. I guess it is this same fact that lends it its charm.

Revived once more, we left Oklahoma and crossed the state line into Texas – the Lone Star State. We were staying at the Big Texan Motel in Amarillo, and it was at this point that we realised with great disappointment that we were utterly unprepared musically for this section of our trip.

Before we left, I had downloaded every Route 66 album known to man, and with song titles like, ‘Gallop to Gallup’, ‘Hoppin in Joplin’, ‘Tucumcari Tonite’ and ‘A-L-B-U-Q-U-E-R-Q-U-E’ (we will NEVER forget how to spell that particular New Mexico town), we were set with quality tunes covering all possibilities. How could I have neglected to purchase ‘Is this the way to Amarillo?’ The song was much more popular in Europe than it ever was in America – of course made universally known in the UK by Peter Kay et al for Comic Relief. Here we were in Texas, on our way to Amarillo – and no Tony Christie. What a waste!

The first thing we came across in Texas was The Devil’s Rope Museum. A entire museum dedicated to that most fascinating of topics: Barbed Wire. Yup, it’s true. As you can imagine, we were gutted that it was closed.

Next up, Groom. Here they have a 190 foot high cross, surrounded by 14 life size statues depicting the stations of the cross. We were expecting this to be tacky, but in fact it was incredibly reflective and serene. There was a scene of the Last Supper, along with a hill complete with 3 crosses, Christ in the middle of the 2 thieves.

We moved on to what we knew would be the opposite of here. The Big Texan Motel, famous for its 72oz steak – gluttony and excess – yet fun and typically (or perhaps stereotypically) Texan! If you can eat the 72oz steak plus all the trimmings and a drink in an hour, you get it for free. Needless to say, we left this challenge to those more greedy – I mean – adventurous – than us and settled in to our more than ample meal of quesadillas and a myriad of sides.

Our motel room was suitably tacky with suede shower curtains complete with tassels and saloon doors into the bathroom. Our meal was suitably beige and enormous, and the music was suitably western in style. We loved it. And I have never experienced such a powerful shower – it felt like four million little tiny needles jabbing into your skin – not necessarily pleasant, but impressive water pressure. Texas knows how to do it BIG!

We’d made it to Amarillo – without asking the way a single time, even if we did get lost for well over and hour. There are worse places to get lost than Route 66. Never a dull moment!

We woke up in Missouri, lunched in Kansas and went to bed in Oklahoma. Such is the joy and variety of a Route 66 trip!

The Route 66 Railway Haven in Springfield, MO felt suitably retro, with old gas pumps in the courtyard and vintage cars in the forecourt.

We were eager to get on the road today – we had a lot to see. We set off, and not half an hour later we arrived at a Sinclair garage where we pulled over in the spur of the moment to take some pictures.

To our surprise, we were met by an older man who introduced himself as Gary – he was such a character – full of life and passionate in a big way about the Mother Road. He brought out a flag and took pictures of us by his garage – he is SO proud of his garage which he built up and restored himself.

For the next 30 minutes, Gary took the time to show us around his incredible space, complete with vintage cars, Old Road memorabilia and Bonny and Clyde statues (yup – he had all sorts!). He told us stories from his life (an incredibly rich and varied tale) and from his time on the road. He spoke of the people that he meets from all over the world – his whole life now is all about meeting Route 66 travellers.

He gave us some Route 66 soda to keep and encouraged us to pose in one of his old vehicles:

He gave us a signed image of his garage and introduced us to Lena, his wife, in the little office which was crammed to the rafters with memorabilia and Route 66 artifacts.

We loved the old cars at the place – they really do have a funny kind of beauty now that they are past their useful life.

This little place was pure magic. Gary is a true legend of the Road – welcoming us with open arms, spending time telling stories and listening to ours. He is so proud of his little patch on this earth and delights in meeting those who happen across it. He is genuinely passionate about his life, his family and the people that he meets. This is what a Route 66 trip is all about. If you do this trip – stop here. It is one of the highlights of our journey. You can check out Gary’s website here and maybe you’ll even spot some of our other pictures on his site (our pics are here on the second page of the photo section on the bottom 2 rows).

Despite the fact that we could have stayed here all day chatting with Gary and learning about the road (he really is a wealth of information!), we had a lot of travelling left to do so had to move on.

The road in Missouri is a real mixture of the old and rusty:

And the old and grand:

This is the Jasper County Courthouse in Carthage, MO, which was built in 1894 and is a beautiful (if somewhat unexpected)structure in a sweet little town of otherwise squat and very ordinary looking buildings.

Before long, we found ourselves driving through Joplin, MO and crossing the State line into Kansas. Route 66 runs a mere 13 miles across the south-east corner of Kansas, through Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs – all towns with lots of closed down businesses and shops. We passed through on a Sunday, and so had little hope of finding anything open. We thought we may have to stop for lunch in a worldwide chain (such as the dreaded McDonald’s, which we really didn’t want to do!).

However, in Galena sits a little gem: Cars on the Route.

We were delighted to find that the little shop and restaurant was open and serving food. It was lunchtime by now and were more than a little peckish. Formerly known as 4 Women on the Route, the place is now under new management (and open on Sundays), and is one of the most friendly places we stopped at along the whole route. They even let us use their Wifi so that I could FaceTime my sister back in the UK (she loves the Wizard of Oz and all things Kansas).

The old tow truck outside (now complete with cartoon eyes) served as the original inspiration for the character ‘Tow Mater’ in Disney Pixar’s ‘Cars’- and the owners of Cars on the Route are maximising that famous link. And why not? We had a simple but delicious burger lunch here, and then reluctantly had to head off. It was good to support this little business in what was otherwise almost a ghost town (although things are picking up, thanks in no small part to the ambition of 4 women who restored this old garage with the aim of breathing life into their town once more – a job well done!).

Our very brief sojourn in Kansas was over, and we departed towards Oklahoma, our 3rd state of the day.

The first highlight we hit in Oklahoma was the 9ft highway, or the ribbon road, just outside Miami, OK. This section of the road was built in 1922 when the costs of paving the Route were piling up – someone had a brainwave that paving half the road should cost half as much – you can’t fault the logic, even if it is a crazy idea. You can still drive this section of the road, even though it was decommissioned many years ago.

And then came one of the most famous and possibly most kitschy icons of Route 66: The Blue Whale of Catoosa. The whale was the brainchild of Hugh Davis, who built it in the 1970s as an anniversary present to his wife. It took 2 years to build and is now owned by Hugh’s daughter and it’s still open to the public.

We love this unique roadside attraction. It’s such a peaceful place, a true respite from the road. We sat by the still water for a while, walked inside and climbed up the whale, and took a welcome breather. Although the pond itself is no longer in use, we could imagine the water full of children playing, sliding off the whale and jumping off his tail. What a fun thing. And of course, it’s HUGE!

Once again, time was against us, and we had to go back onto the Interstate once we had got through Tulsa. It was our first wedding anniversary after all, and we had a nice hotel and a lovely meal waiting for us in Oklahoma City. We’d had a great day – in a very different way from the same day the year before – when we said ‘I will’ on a sunny autumn day in Nottingham.

After being welcomed to the Oklahoma City hotel by a group of Oklahoman guests, singing a complete rendition of the title song from the musical ‘Oklahoma’ (I so wish I had that on video – it was priceless), we settled in to our beautiful Anniversary Meal, tired but very happy.